GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 757588
[Feature Request] Bring back ability to reply in notifications
Last modified: 2016-12-13 17:53:03 UTC
Till Gnome 3.14, it was a pleasure to use while I was working and some one messages me. I can quickly reply to it and get back on my work. But now, I cannot reply to the message directly in the notification. I'm using pidgin, with its gnome shell integration plugin. For reference, see this issue[1] filed with that extension. Now when I receive a notification, I click that and Pidgin window shows up where I was doing my thing. Its a distraction. I want that thing to stay wherever it is, or not show up at all, like in the pre 3.16 era. The very first implementation of messaging tray was even more awesome that I didnt even need to move my hands to grab the mouse to respond. The response text box would be autofocused so that I can just reply. In case I didnt wat to reply, I can just hit esc, and back to work. In the next design iteration, you removed the auto focus and made me to click to reply. One more design iteration, I cant even reply. Its very disappointing :( I suggest something configurable. Please bring back that option, and add an entry in tweak tool to disable this replying feature, so that all are happy. [1]:https://github.com/muffinmad/pidgin-im-gnome-shell-extension/issues/25
(In reply to Jay Aurabind from comment #0) > I suggest something configurable. Please bring back that option, and add an > entry in tweak tool to disable this replying feature No, we won't duplicate core functionality and add an option to switch between them. Instead, let's take this as a feature request to allow expanding notifications in the message list.
(In reply to Florian Müllner from comment #1) > (In reply to Jay Aurabind from comment #0) > > I suggest something configurable. Please bring back that option, and add an > > entry in tweak tool to disable this replying feature > > No, we won't duplicate core functionality and add an option to switch > between them. > > Instead, let's take this as a feature request to allow expanding > notifications in the message list. Thank you for the response. To be specific, allowing to expand notifications in the popup directly, would also be appreciated!
(In reply to Florian Müllner from comment #1) ... > Instead, let's take this as a feature request to allow expanding > notifications in the message list. At some point, I provided a detailed explanation of why the design is the way it is (at your request, Florian, I think), and why adding this feature back might be problematic. Unfortunately I can't find the bug report now. :/
(In reply to Allan Day from comment #3) > At some point, I provided a detailed explanation of why the design is the > way it is (at your request, Florian, I think), and why adding this feature > back might be problematic. Mmmh, I don't remember that, sorry.
why would this be marked WONTFIX if you can't find the explanation or can't remember it? perhaps it no longer makes sense anymore. being able to reply from the notification was a really great feature, and android and ios both let you do this, so it's something that really should return if GNOME wants to compete with those systems. it's also the only reason I was using it.
I can tell you my rationale. The main one is that we don't GNOME Shell to replace applications, but empower applications. The chat integration was always an awkward case in that it kept growing until it was effectively a full chat application. With the new notifications-in-top-bar design, trying to fit a full application into it is actually really tricky. I think it makes a lot more sense to expose good ways that applications can integrate with our platform, rather than to shove an application in it. Additionally, we've been noticing over the years that desktop chat clients have been declining in popularity -- web-based ones seem to be taking over, with closed protocols. So, for a lot of the team here, we've seen a major decline in use in the integrated chat system. On both Android devices I have, you can't reply inline from a notification -- there's a Reply button which will open the chat app.
It's a shame the walled-garden of chat approach is continuing, but I guess there is nothing that can be done about that. But Android supports inline replies from the notification center - but different apps use it in different ways. Hangouts doesn't use inline replies but Cyanogenmod's default Messaging does. I understand what you are saying, but what does empowering mean? If the application wants to allow inline replies from the notifications it displays, it isn't being empowered to do so.
Currently, we don't have a way for applications to allow a reply widget in their notifications -- we hardcoded the support for Telepathy. If we want to add a reply widget in notifications for use by applications, I think that's a fair idea. But it should still be application-driven rather than embedding a chat protocol in GNOME Shell.
Oh completely agreed, in no way should it be a chat protocol specifically, I'm surprised that is the way it was, I always thought it was a more generic method, and you're right, if GNOME developers choose to implement it it should be a generic API applications can use. Of course all the usual caveats about open source apply - I am not a GNOME developer and this can only be coded if someone who is decides to take it up, this bug report/feature request was just opened by someone who represents all of us who did use this feature and found it very helpful and productive. Thanks at least for considering it and having the discussion.
When it was hooked into the chat protocol, we could conveniently ignore several design issues that happen in the general case, because we were basically writing an app in the shell. If we choose to add a general reply area widget as a notification, we'd have to flesh out the interaction in all edge cases. Again, not opposed to doing that, but do realize it would be a considerate amount of work.
Since my previous comment seems to be lost, I'll try to recreate it here. There are two principal reasons why we chose not to include message replies in the notification list: 1. It's really difficult from an interaction point of view. Each list row has two actions right now: open and close. A third (expand) is difficult to accommodate, plus you'd need a way to collapse an expanded notification. Displaying chat history in the notification list would also be difficult and complex. We explored these options and every possible solution was unsatisfactory. 2. In general, notification actions are most useful when the notification is a banner: they are a quick response function that allows you to act on the notification without leaving the current context. However, once a notification has been displayed, those actions aren't as relevant. You are no longer in the realm of quick reply: the event has happened, and you are already out of the context you were previously in.
One other reason: 3. We decided to order the notification list by time. This has a number of advantages: it is predictable, it provides a history of events, and it gives the notification list a clear sense of order and purpose. Notification actions wouldn't fit in as well with this approach. For example, replying to chats from the list wouldn't be as convenient if they're not prioritised and placed at the top of the list.
Yeah, it seems replying from the notification center is not really workable. What we liked about the old feature was not so much replying to notifications in general, but that it was really as you describe a separate chat application that had special access to the message bar underneath and could be easily used (to reply at least) from all desktops. That would be a super-convenient chat app for sure. But how feasible is it to display the original popup notification window that pops up when a user clicks on the notification?
You can leave resolved, I just wanted to notate that the developer of the notification (https://github.com/muffinmad/pidgin-im-gnome-shell-extension) was able to implement a solution that pops up the original notification window when the user clicks on the saved notification, so we're back to productive awesomeness. :)
*** Bug 775190 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Bug 757588 is something of a follow up to this one.
Sorry, bug 776048 is a follow up to this one!
*** Bug 749997 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***